07. Please Do Not Call This a Date


Your face grew warm every time you looked at Tadashi during work, and he chuckled whenever he noticed it.

"Relax, [Y/N], it's not a date. My family is coming over, and I might even bring GoGo." Tadashi told you, while pulling the tray of fresh cookies out of the oven, and then he went over to a fresh cake that has been cooling for fifteen minutes.

You still wouldn't look at him, and inspected the cookies when they were laid on the metal countertop. You were beginning to get the hang of of everything now.

After you seen that just about all of them were good, you put on your kitchen mitts and took the tray, bringing it out of the kitchen.

Once Aunt Cass saw you, she smiled brightly and took the tray from your hands with no kitchen mitts, at first you were quite terrified of that, but then you realized Aunt Cass looked like a woman that could kill and at the same time bake sweets.

"Why are you so pink?" She questioned, putting the cookies away.

You sighed, and leaned back against the wall.

"Is it because of tonight?" Aunt Cass asked, raising her eyebrows.

You nodded your head, and opened your mouth to say something until Tadashi poked his head out of the kitchen, some flour from earlier on his cheeks. He looked so adorable, you couldn't help but giggle.

"Hey, Aunt Cass, do you want the frosting pink or blue?" He asked, glancing at you with a smile.

"I want it yellow now, please." Aunt Cass answered, and then looked up at the ceiling in thought, "Or actually, make it a light pink!" She said.

Tadashi nodded his head, and grinned at you before going back into the kitchen.

When he was gone, Aunt Cass stared at you, her index finger tapping her chin. You slowly slid over to the kitchen door, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze.

At last, you walked backwards into the kitchen and bumped into something hard.

You yelped, and turned around, only to see Tadashi with flour all over his apron and hands. Your eyes grew wide, and you patted your own back, seeing some white powder on your hands.

You were wearing a black shirt today, and you groaned loudly.

Tadashi chuckled, and wiped his dirty hands on his own pants.

"Don't get too worked up about it, flour doesn't stain. Besides, there's an easy quick way to take it off." He informed you, walking over to the sink. You followed behind him, and watched him wet a small towel that was hanging by. After he was done wetting the towel, he spun his index finger a few times, as to gesture you to turn around.

With some hesitation, you did as told.

You yelped again when you felt the damp towel dab against your shirt and skin. Tadashi laughed lightly, and held you down with one hand on your shoulder.

"Don't move too much, I'm not suppose to rub the towel, only dab." He muttered, finishing up.

The second he was done, you turned your head back and pulled the back of your shirt, expecting to see a faded white. It was clean, and the black fabric only looked darker because it was still a bit damp.

"Ta-da!" Tadashi marveled, a proud grin on his face.

"That's pretty cool, I'll be sure to remember that trick. That'll come in handy!" You cheered.

"My mom actually taught me it," he stated, his tone softening.

"Oh, where is she anyways? I haven't met her yet." You commented, tilting your head to the side curiously.

He took in a deep breath, and his eyes went to the floor. There was a moment of silence before he sighed again, and scratched his head. It didn't take you long to get the situation, the reason must have been why he has been living with Aunt Cass.

"Oh, you don't have to explain it. I get it." You acknowledged, noticing the stiffness in his shoulders.

Tadashi gulped, and apologized under his breath.

You brushed off his apology, and went over to the yellow cake with a bowl of frosting by it. "What's the cake for? I actually don't even remember seeing orders for a cake, huh?" You inquired.

"Oh, haha," Tadashi walked over to your side, and slid the bowl over to him, "it's for a friend of Aunt Cass."

You raised a single eyebrow at him, suddenly intrigued by what it could be. Some suspicion in you said it was for you, however it was working hours still and you were sure neither Aunt Cass or him wanted to use their time to prepare you a cake.

"By the way, I'm leaving early today so I can go to my classes and still get home in time for dinner, so you guys might have to meet my parents without me for a little. You guys can even eat without me! It'll be fine." You insisted.

Tadashi frowned, and picked up the flat frosting spatula in the bowl, scooping up the frosting and dumping a large amount on the cake.

"Do you have to go to class? What will missing a day do?" He started to spread out the frosting, his eyebrows knitted together.

"I actually missed class yesterday, I forgot all about it when I came home, my mom told me to stay home to eat her special spaghetti and meatballs." You laughed, a sheepish grin on your face.

"Your mom lets you stay home from class?" He flashed you a weird expression, and you felt more embarrassed.

"I mean, of course I felt guilty, um," you tried to correct yourself, but Tadashi stopped you.

"That's pretty cool, there are some days when I want to stay home but can't, it makes me feel guilty. I guess that's a cool mom you got there." Tadashi smirked.

You didn't say anything else, adoring Tadashi. He was so kind to you, you smiled as he tsked at himself for accidentally wiping some frosting with his thumb.

Tadashi glanced over at you, and stopped what he was doing.

"You've been staring at me these last five minutes, you're admiring my skillful work or something?" He joked, and then went back to doing what he was doing before.

"Actually, you can say that." You giggled.

The kitchen door suddenly opened up, and Aunt Cass stepped half way in with big eyes, pointing at the clock above the door.

You looked up, and gasped when you realized the time. You had to get to class soon, if you wanted to actually be home before dinner even started.

"I got to go! You got my address, right, Aunt Cass?" You had wrote it on your application before.

"Yes, now get going! I'll see you later, okay? Be safe." Aunt Cass said, moving to the side so you could get out.

You went to the office, and hung up your apron, brushing off your back just in case. You walked out expecting a box full of sweets from Aunt Cass like usual, however she was busy with a customer and you shrugged your shoulders.

It wasn't that important anyways.

"Bye, guys!" You shouted, scurrying out the cafe, your bag smacking against your hip.

You only had ten minutes to get to class, and you didn't waste a minute. You buckled up your helmet, and started driving, going in between cars and cutting through short-cuts.

The sound of a clock ticking resonated in your head, and you squinted your eyes through the slashing wind.

Once you got to SFIT, you hopped off your moped and hung your helmet on the handle.

You stuffed your key into you bag, and ran past the students and to your class. You cussed to yourself, and pushed past a group of people in the hallway, rolling your eyes.

Usually, you weren't this aggressive, but you were almost late to class. The professor really enjoyed you, and you didn't want to disappoint him, especially after missing a day.

Finally, you frantically entered the class, only to see a few people there.

"Oh, [Y/N], you're here early, we missed you yesterday, are you okay?" The professor asked, concerned at your bugged eyes and messy hair.

"What?" You inquired.

"Didn't you get my email yesterday? Class will start ten minutes later, because I had thought I had errands to do." Your professor clarified, and took a sip of coffee out of the mug in his hand.

You groaned, and bent back in exhaustion and disappointment.


After you went to your classes, it was eight at night. The sky was black, and the air was chilly. You were worn out, your last class had you doing the most work.

You dragged yourself all the way to your moped, not a lot of people were around. They were either studying in their dorms, or at home by now.

During the time you drove home, you drove slowly, cruising up the hill and through the streets. It took you longer than it should have to arrive at your house, which had all the lights on and an unfamiliar green car parked at the front. You parked your moped, clinging onto your helmet.

When you got closer to your front door, you heard a howling laughter and you gulped. Your dad must have been laughing at his own jokes.

You turned the knob, not expecting it to be locked, and pushed the door open slowly. The laughter got even louder, this time you even heard Tadashi's laugh.

"Huh? Did you hear that?" A chair screeched against the wooden floor, and your mom came over to the kitchen doorway. "Oh it's just you, [Y/N]!" Your mom beamed, as you took off your shoes and hung up your jacket.

"Who is it, honey?" Your dad questioned from the kitchen.

After you were done, your mom took your hand and dragged you into the kitchen, where the Hamada family and your family crowded around the table. Your siblings were sitting on your dad's lap.

"Oh, [Y/N], welcome home." Your dad greeted.

You took an empty seat between Tadashi and your dad, your hands politely on your lap with your back straight. It felt awkward, it seemed like you killed the mood for everyone just by being there.

"How was class, angel?" Your mom asked after a few moments of quietness, and then sipped on her glass of wine.

"So tiring." You began to relax your shoulders and leaned back, noticing the plates in front of everyone. No one had eaten yet, all the plates were clean.

Your mom recognized your observation, and placed her glass down.

"We were waiting for you, well Tadashi suggested it actually." Your mom mentioned, and then stood up. Aunt Cass got up too, and followed her over to the stove.

You looked over to the side, at Tadashi, and smiled.

"I told you that you could eat without me." You said, raising a single eyebrow at him.

Tadashi couldn't say anything because your dad shuffled his seat closer to your, eyeing Tadashi intently.

"This is not a date, by the way, you two." He stated, and then looked at you.

"Please do not call this a date." You retorted, and rolled your eyes. Then you glared at your dad, getting that he might've been joking, but it was still irritating. Especially if considering that you were an adult now.

Your dad grunted, and turned away.

Tadashi stifled a laughter, and you nudged into his arm, frowning at him. He returned your expression with a simple grin, and moved his head over to your ear.

"Technically, by definition, this is a date. A date isn't only romantically, it can also be socially." Tadashi whispered, and you felt chills when his breath touched your skin.

You moved your head away from him, grimacing and shaking your head.

"Please do not call this a date." You repeated, and your dad glanced behind him at you.

Your mom rushed over with kitchen mitts on and an aluminum pan with lasagna in her hands. Aunt Cass was behind her, holding a tray of tea. She passed them out as your mom placed down the tray in the center of the table.

"Whoa!" Your mom exhaled deeply, and then took a seat.

Aunt Cass sat right beside Tadashi, and she kindly smiled at you.

Soon, everyone had a slice of lasagna on their plate, and ate it happily. Danny and Lilly would take some bites off your plate, even though they had a small portion of their own.

Your dad was telling another story of his, and Tadashi and you were quietly having a conversation of your own.

"I like your mom's cooking, this is really delicious." He reported, picking up a big size of lasagna on his fork and putting it into his mouth.

"Well, pasta is her specialty." You agreed, and then called for your mom's attention.

"Huh?" Your mom asked, turning her face away from Aunt Cass and to you.

"Tadashi said your cooking is really good." You told her, and bumped your knee against his.

Tadashi looked up from his plate, and nodded his head, with food still in his mouth he said, "Thish ish really delicious!"

Your mom laughed, and then she flashed him a thumbs up. She always took pride in her cooking, and she loved it when she was told how good it was.

"Hey, I just realized this, but where's Hiro?" You questioned, looking around the table and suddenly realizing his absence.

"He's napping over at the couch, since he already ate before we got here." Aunt Cass explained, and she pointed her fork at the doorway, at the direction of the living room across the kitchen.

You pouted, and then took a bit of your lasagna.

"I had forgotten to mention this before, Cass, but thank you so much for the boxes of sweets you give to [Y/N]. That's so sweet of you, Danny loves them!" Your mom beamed, and pinched Danny's cheek.

Aunt Cass waved her hand, "It's nothing, really. [Y/N] is such a nice person. I hope you enjoy the cake Tadashi baked for you."

You blushed, and mumbled a thank you, stealing a glance from Tadashi.

Everyone was finishing up their plates now, and your mom and Aunt Cass were sharing recipes with each other, while you and Tadashi were just chatting and making jokes. Your dad was watching the kids, and playfully pretending to eat off their plates.

"I'll collect the plates and wash the dishes, looks like everyone is done." You remarked, standing up and placing Tadashi's plate on yours. You took the others, and went to put them in the sink.

"Want to see my cookbook collection?" Your mom questioned Aunt Cass eagerly, bending over the table a little.

"May I?" Aunt Cass responded, just as excited as your mom.

You giggled when you heard them, and tied up your hair.

"Alright, kids, that means let's go to bed. You looking like a zombie there, Danny." Your dad muttered, picking up the two kids in his arms. "I'll be in the bathroom, helping these two if any of you need me." He said before leaving the kitchen.

Then your mom and Aunt Cass got up, skipping over to the doorway.

"We'll be in the living room, okay? Make good choices!" Your mom hollered, and then skipped out with Aunt Cass.

Now it was just Tadashi and you, but he was still sitting at the table whereas you were at the sink. Eventually, he got up and went by to your side, leaning back against the countertop with his arms folded.

"I like your family, it's very. . .Family-orientated." Tadashi commented.

"Trust me, we are a lot closer than this. This isn't a very good first impression of how we really are." You chuckled, and begun to scrub the dishes.

"I think it was a great impression. Your dad has a ton of interesting, funny story, and your mom is so bright. She connects to Aunt Cass pretty well."

A loose strand of hair fell in front of your face, and you tried to throw it back by shaking your head, however that only caused more strands to fall in front of your face. You sighed, and tried to blow the hair back, it didn't work.

"Hey, can you just tuck this hair behind my ear, it's bothering me and my hands are soapy, please?" You begged, turning your face to him.

Tadashi reached over to the strands of hair, and gently tucked them behind your ear, his eyes gazing at your face.

You felt his gaze, and looked back to the dishes quickly.

Just then, the two of you heard someone stomping their way to the kitchen, and Tadashi backed away from you even more. In fear it was your dad.

It was just Hiro, he came in and yawned, while rubbing his eyes.

"Aunt Cass squealing over books woke me up," Hiro groaned, and then stretched his arms. "She wouldn't read any childcare books, but she'll ask Mrs. [Y/L/N] if she could borrow her cooking books." He added, going over to the table and plopping down onto the chair.

Tadashi and you glanced at each other, before laughing.

Hiro was so sassy, and he was barely awake.

"You guys have a good date? Accidentally kiss on the same noodle?" Hiro teased, becoming more aware.

It seemed like everyone was forgetting that Tadashi was taken, and you groaned.

Tadashi realized your annoyance now, and frowned. "It's not a date, Hiro." He empathized, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Come on, Tadashi, I know that you and Go―"

"Hiro." Tadashi snapped, eyes hard.

Hiro's mouth went into a thin line, and he didn't say anything else.

You stood uncomfortably, trying to distract yourself from listening to them and what was going on. You washed all the dishes without a thought, and when you were done, you still weren't sure if you should move or not.

Hiro was tracing an outline with his finger on the table and Tadashi still stood by the countertop.

"Hiro, do you want some lasagna?" You offered, seeing that no one had put it away yet. There were still some leftovers enough for Hiro to finish.

Hiro shrugged, and then his stomach growled loudly. He got pink in embarrassment, and you giggled, even Tadashi cracked a smile.

"That is definitely a yes." You said, and happily went to the cabinet and pulled out a plate for Hiro, Tadashi moved to the side, grinning to himself as you did.

You brought the plate over to Hiro, and placed the lasagna onto the plate.

"It's still pretty warm, so I hope you enjoy." You told him, and sat down next to him. Tadashi walked over and sat to the other chair by his side, and you and him watched Hiro devour the lasagna, both of you guys chuckling at the tomato sauce at the corner of Hiro's lips.

"You guys are creepy, watching a fourteen year old eat." Hiro joked, and then took another big bite, finishing up the plate.


A/N: It took me about eight hours to write this (with A LOT of breaks haha!) It's not a proper ending for a chapter, but it's 1 am, and I need to sleep. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Check my other TadashixReader fanfic 'The Sort of Funny Thing about Us'!

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